48 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



quills with the inner wel) sinuated, as well as in having the quills shorter, 

 broader, and more bowed, and their under surface more concave. They may, 

 perhaps, be distinguished as a separate subgenus {Megascops, Kaup). Of the 

 American species all but iS'. asio (including its several races) have the toes 

 perfectly naked to their very bases. 



Species and Races. 



Common Characters. Plumage brown, gray, or rufous, and whitish, finely 

 mottled above ; lower parts transversely barred, and with dark shaft-streaks. 

 Outer webs of lower scapulars light-colored (white or ochraceous) and with- 

 out markings. Tail crossed by rather obscure mottled light and dark bars of 

 nearly equal width. Outer webs of primaries with nearly equal bands of whitish 

 and dusky. 



1. S. asio. Toes covered (more or less densely) with bristles, or hair-like 

 feathers. Wing, 5.50-7.80; tail, 3.20-4.10; culmen, .50 -.70; tarsus, 

 1.00-1.70; middle toe, .70 -.80. Ear-tufts well developed; facial circle 

 black. 



Colors smoky-brown and pale fulvous, with little or none of pure 

 white. Outer webs of the scapulars pale ochraceous-fulvous. Wmg, 

 6.90 - 7.30 ; tail. 3.50 - 4.50. Hab. North Pacific region, from 

 Western Idaho and Washington Territory, northward to Sitka. 



var. hennicotti. 

 Colors ashy-gray and pure white, with little or none of fulvous. 

 Outer webs of the scapulars pure white. Varying to bright brick-red, 

 or lateritious-rufous. 



Mottlings coarse, the blackish median streaks above not sharply 

 defined, and the bars beneath heavy and distinct. 



Wing, 6.10-7.75; tail, 3.30-4.35. In the red plumage, 

 white prevailing on the lower parts, where the red markings 

 are not broken into transverse b^ars. Hah. United States; 

 except the Southern Middle Province, tlie northwest region, 

 and Florida ......... var. asio. 



Wing, 5.50-6.00 tail, 2.75-3.10. In the red plumage, 

 red prevailing on the lower parts, where the markings are 

 much broken into transverse bars. Hah. Florida and Southern 

 Greorgia ........ var. floridanv s. 



Wing, 5.50 - 5.80 ; tail, 3.20 - 3.30. Gray plumage, like 

 var. asio, but the mottling above much coarser, and the nape 

 with a strongly indicated collar of rounded white spots in 

 pairs, on opposite webs. Red plumage not seen. Hab. 

 Eastern Mexico and Guatemala ..... var. enano.^ 



Mottlings fine, the blackish median streaks above very sharply 

 defined and conspicuous ; bars beneath delicate and indistinct. 



1 Scops asio, var. cnano, Lawrence, MSS. This well-marked race is founded upon two speci- 

 mens, — one from Mexico, in the cabinet of Mr. Lawrence, and another from Guatemala, in the 

 -collection of the Boston Society of Natural History. They are exactly similar in colors ; but, as 

 might be. expected, the more southern si)ecimen is tlie smaller of the two. This form very closely 

 resembles the S. atricapilla (Natt.) Steph. (Temm. PI. Col. 145), but may be readily dis- 

 tinguished by the haired toes, tliey being perfectly naked in atricapilla. The latter species is 

 found as far northward as Mirador. 



